On December 30, 2009, VS finally inked their A330-300 order. They will take six frames direct from Airbus in exchange for canceling six A340-600s and will lease four additional frames from AerCap.

Reuters Article

Good perspective from GLG here.
http://www.glgroup.com/News/What-Happened-...son--45858.html

That's not 'good perspective' - maybe if someone on here wrote it, but to put that on GLG dressed up as 'analysis' is like placing the former Iraqi Minister of Information in charge of the United Nations.

It's opinionated bullsh!t by someone with a huge anti-Airbus bias - nothing more, nothing less. Furthermore, it provides zero insight or analysis into why VS ordered this particular frame, nor even anything about how it fits in with the A340s it already has, nor anything else of any relevance.

Rant over.

The latest models of the A330-300 are far more capable than the earliest models, so I for one am not surprised that VS now feels the A330-300 is a suitable replacement for those A340-300s for missions where field performance or atmospheric conditions do not penalize a twin, as well as TATL missions.

In theory - yes, in reality - no.

Virgin's A330-300s won't be equipped with crew rests, therefore they will be restricted to flights of 8 hours of less, which more or less means they'll only be used on: Dubai, Nairobi, Lagos, MIA, IAD, JFK, EWR and BOS, plus any new routes (eg. Toronto) that they decide to open within that flight envelope.

Can't a VS relief crewmember take a nap in an Upper Class suite?

...y'don't say? LOL
(and no, it wasn't me)